Smelting-furnace



D. BROOKFIELD.

SMELTING FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.21.1919.

1,346,527. Patented July 13, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET l- D. BROOKFIELD.

SMELTING FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21, 1919.

1,346,527, Patented July 13,1920.

' F 2 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. .Z

PATENT QFFICE.

DOUGLAS BROOKFIELD, OF HOLLOWAY, LONDGN, ENGLAND.

SMELTING-FURNACE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 13, 1920.

Application filed March 21. 1919. Serial No. 284,195.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DOUGLAS BRooKrinLD, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Holloway London, N. 7, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Smelting-Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improved mecha nism for effecting the tilting operation of crucible smelting furnaces, particularly of that class known as the lip-axis type, by the employment of which and the general an rangement thereof increased facility of manipulation is secured, besides the aggregate weight of the apparatus being reduced and the necessity for the use of counterbalance weights avoided. Incidentally by the general. arrangement of parts as hereafter described a very compact apparatus is produced by combining on the one bedplate a complete plant comprising the furnace proper, lifting gear for the preheater or closure, tilting gear for the furnace, and motive power for driving alternatively the fan or blower for the blast that is also mounted on the same bedplate, and the said tilting gear.

As an example of the embodiment of my present invention, I will presumeits application to a furnace provided with the characteristic features set out in the specification of a co-pending application for patent, Serial No. 208,886, filed December 26, 1917, in the names of James Gaunt and Douglas Brookfield, wherein the air blast is preheated by being conveyed through circuitous c011- duits disposed in an annular space formed between the inner and outer casing of the furnace preparatory to its admission to the furnace, the said furnace being provided with a preheater or metal container that forms a closure for the top thereof, and means for raising this cover and swinging the same clear of the body of the furnace. Given a furnace of this kind, provided with a spout or pouring lip at or near the top just below the preheater or metal. container, supported on trunnions mounted 1T1. bosse. provided on the outer casing of the furnace carried in standard. bearings secured to the bedplate of the machine, on one of the said trunnions or axes is mounted a worm-wheel that is rotated by a worm driven by any convenient means, this worm-wheel drives a pinion that meshes with a spur-wheel secured to a spindle, at or near the outer ends of which are fixed pinions that engage with sectoral toothed racks, that cause the said spindle to be moved in an upward direction carrying with it the furnace by reason of its engagement therewith, a boss on the furnace casing being provided therefor, whereby the furnace is caused to tilt on the axis which, as before stated. is situated about the same plane or center line as the lip or spout aforesaid.

In order that my invention may be clearly understood I will now describe the same with reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, of a furnace of the kind referred to adapted to the lip-axis titlting type.

Fig. 2 a side elevation, partly in section.

Fig. 3 a plan of the entire combination.

Fig. d a part sectional plan taken on line o2-w of Fig. 2, showing the tilting gear drawn to a larger scale.

The furnace a and preheater b mounted thereon together with the preheater lifting gear 0 are of similar construction to that described in the specification of the co-pending application hereinbefore referred to. The furnace at is carried by the trunnions (Z mounted in bearings a bolted to the main frame f. Formed in the casting by which the trunnions (Z are attached to the furnace at .is the lip g by which the contents of the crucible within the furnace are poured, which lip is situated at or near the center line of the axis on which the furnace rotates during the tilting operation. Mounted on the main frame f is the casing 7t inclosing the mechanism by which the tilting operation is carried out, and which may consist of the casting 2' to which is bolted the cover-plate j. On the side of the casing and either formed integ al th irewith or bolted thereto, is the toothed sector it into which gears the pinion m mounted on the spindle a.

On the other end of the spindle n is mounted a similar pinion 0 that gears with the toothed sector p which is bolted or otherwise attached to the cover-plate T he spindle a is carried by the bearings or guides (1 working in the slots 1" formed in the casing 2' and cover-plate j, and at its inner end takes into the boss 8 formed on the side of the furnace Q. Mounted on the spindle n is a spur-wheel t that is driven blast.

by means of the electric motor 8 mounted on the main frame 7", through the friction clutch 7, worm-shaft 6, and speed-reducing gear 5 which is of the ordinary worm and worm-wheel type. Mounted on the main frame f on the other side of the motor 8 is the blower or fan 10 adapted to be driven through the friction-clutch 9 by the motor 8. The air blast from the fan or blower 10 is talren into the hollow main frame f to the inlet 11 on the furnace a, the hollow frame acting as a conduit for said air t will be obvious that when the furnace is being tilted the. air blast must be stopped, and to insure this taking place we prefer to arrange that the gear operat ing the clutches 7 and 9 shall be interconnected in such a manner that both clutches cannot be in engagement at the same time. One method of effecting this is illustrated in Fig. 8 in which the operating bar 12 is connected to the operating levers 13 and ll in such a manner that when the clutch 9, for example, is in gear and the fan or blower 10 is being driven by the motor 8,

' the clutch 7 for driving the tilting mecha nism is out of gear with the motor. VJhen the operating bar 12 is in the intermediate position both clutches will be inoperative and the motor is free, as for example when starting up.

Assuming now that it is required to tilt the furnace for pouring, the operating bar 12 is moved so as to disengage the clutch 9 by means of the lever 14 and put the, clutch 7 in gear by means of the lever 13. The motor 8 thus imparts motion to the tilting gear through worm shaft 6, reducing gear 5, drivingshaft 3, to the bevel-wheels 2 and l by which the vertical shaft 1 is driven. This in turn drives through worm w, the worm-wheel 'w and the pinion a, the latter gearing with the spur-wheel t on spindle an and driving the pinions m and 0 which,

engaging with the toothed sectors and p respectively, cause the spindle a to move in an upward direction carrying with it the furnace at by reason of its engagement with the boss 8 on the side of the furnace (4,

which is thus caused to tilt on the trunnions at as indicated by dotted llnes in Fig. 2, which shows the furnace a 1n the midway position, the preheater or closure 5 belt in conjunction with striking gear, such as is employed in the case of planing machines, fulfils the requirements as to reverse motion of the tilting operation.

Claims:

1. In a smelting furnace of the lip-axis type, the combination with the blowing mechanism of tilting mechanism comprising a set of gear wheels mounted at the axis on which the furnace is tilted, a second set of ear wheels driven thereby, a spindle on which said second set of gear wheels is mounted, said spindle being connected to the furnace at a distance from the tilting axis, a plurality of sectoral racks engaging with said'second set of gear wheels, and means for driving the first set of gear wheels.

2. In a smelting furnace of the lip-axis type the combination with a set of gear wheels mounted at the axis on which the furnace is tilted, a second set of gear wheels driven thereby, a spindle on which said second set of gear wheels is mounted, said spindle being connected to the furnace at a distance from the tilting axis, sliding bearings supporting said spindle, a plurality of sectoral racks engaging with said second set of gear wheels, and means for driving the first set of gear wheels, of a blower, and means for driving said blower.

3. In a smelting furnace of the lip-axis type the combination with a set of gear wheels mounted at the axis on which the furnace is tilted, a second set of gear wheels driven thereby, a spindle on which said second set of gear wheels is mounted, said spindle beingconnected to the furnace at a dis tance from the tilting axis, sliding bearings supporting said spindle, a plurality of sectoral racks engaging with said second set of gear wheels, and means for driving the first set of gear wheels, of a blower, means for driving said blower, and means for disconnectingsaid blower driving means when the furnace is being tilted.

In witness whereof I aflix my si ature.

DOUGLAS BROOKFIELD. 

